Paving machines (also referred to as road pavers and asphalt finishers) are commonly used to apply, spread and compact a paving, i.e., a mat of material, relatively evenly over a work surface. These machines are generally used in the construction of roads, parking lots and other areas. An asphalt paving machine generally includes a hopper for receiving asphalt material from a truck, a conveyor system for transferring the asphalt rearwardly from the hopper for discharge onto a roadbed, and a set of augers to evenly spread the paving material in front of the screed. A screed plate smoothes and compacts the asphalt material, ideally leaving behind a mat of uniform depth, density, texture and smoothness.
For example, a control device for a road paver is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,227 A. The control device automatically regulates the extension or retraction of the screeds on both sides of the road paver in reference to a visual display of a reference line following some objects along the roadside. In one embodiment, a laser emitter emits a slit-shaped laser beam which irradiates a reference line consisting of fixed objects along the roadside of the paving road. A camera records an illuminated line generated by irradiating the fixed objects along the reference line and displays a corresponding image on a screen of a display device.
The present disclosure is directed, at least in part, to improving or overcoming one or more aspects of prior systems.